North Carolina Light Dragoons Regiment

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North Carolina Light Dragoons Regiment
Active1775–1779 then 1779-1781 as State Troops
Allegiance North Carolina, Continental Congress of the United States
Type Dragoon
Part ofState Troops, Continental Army
Engagements Brandywine and Germantown
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Col. François DeMalmedy

The North Carolina Light Dragoons Regiment was raised on April 13, 1775 at Wilmington, North Carolina, first as provincial troops, then as state troops, then for service with the Continental Army, and finally returned as a State Troop Regiment. On April 16, 1776, the General Assembly authorized the creation of three companies of NC Light Dragoons. These are first considered to be Provincial Troops then State Troops. On March 7, 1777, these companies were placed on the North Carolina Continental Line. All companies of North Carolina Light Dragoons were removed from the Continental Line on January 1, 1779 and ordered to disband. The North Carolina General Assembly decided to retain these units, but it took them several months to figure out how best to employ them. Between February and June of 1779, they were assembled into a new Regiment of State Troops under ex-Continental Col. François Malmédy, who had marched south with Major General Benjamin Lincoln in late 1778. [1]

Wilmington, North Carolina City in North Carolina, United States

Wilmington is a port city and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States.

Continental Army Colonial army during the American Revolutionary War

The Continental Army was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the ex-British colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in their revolt against the rule of Great Britain. The Continental Army was supplemented by local militias and volunteer troops that remained under control of the individual states or were otherwise independent. General George Washington was the commander-in-chief of the army throughout the war.

François Lellorquis de Malmédy, the Marquis de Malmédy, was a sous lieutenant of cavalry in the French Army prior to 1776 and a Continental Army officer during the American Revolution after he arrived in the American colonies in 1776. He was reported to be descended from an Irish family named Gray that settled in France.

Contents

Organization

Captain Samuel Ash, Jr. Samuel Ash.jpg
Captain Samuel Ash, Jr.

The regiment included the following companies [2] :

Samuel Ashe was the ninth Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1795 to 1798. He was also one of the first three judges of the North Carolina Superior Court in 1787.

The regiment was disbanded on January 1, 1779 at Halifax, North Carolina and Fort Pitt. Many considered this new Regiment to be Militia, while most considered them to be State Troops. The unit was simply called the North Carolina Light Dragoons Regiment. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of Germantown. [1]

Halifax, North Carolina Town in North Carolina, United States

Halifax is a town in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 234 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Halifax County. It is also known as "The Birthplace of Freedom" for being the location for the adoption of the Halifax Resolves, which was the first official action by a colony calling for independence. Halifax is also home to the Halifax Historic District, a historic site operated by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.

Battle of Brandywine Battle of the American Revolutionary War

The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American Continental Army of General George Washington and the British Army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The "Redcoats" of the British Army defeated the American rebels in the Patriots' forces and forced them to withdraw northeast toward the American capital and largest city of Philadelphia where the Second Continental Congress had been meeting since 1775. The engagement occurred near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania during Howe's campaign to take Philadelphia, part of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). More troops fought at Brandywine than any other battle of the American Revolution. It was also the longest single-day battle of the war, with continuous fighting for 11 hours.

Battle of Germantown October 1777 battle during the American Revolutionary War

The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American Continental Army, with the 2nd Canadian Regiment, under George Washington.

The North Carolina General Assembly decided to retain these units, but it took them several months to figure out how best to employ them. Between February and June of 1779, they were assembled into a new Regiment of State Troops under ex-Continental Col. François Malmédy, who had marched south with Major General Benjamin Lincoln in late 1778. The regiment was disbanded in 1781, not long after Col. François Malmédy was killed in a duel. [1]

Benjamin Lincoln Continental Army general (1733-1810)

Benjamin Lincoln was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Lincoln was involved in three major surrenders during the war: his participation in the Battles of Saratoga contributed to John Burgoyne's surrender of a British army, he oversaw the largest American surrender of the war at the 1780 Siege of Charleston, and, as George Washington's second in command, he formally accepted the British surrender at Yorktown.

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The 6th South Carolina Regiment was authorized on 28 February 1776 in the South Carolina State Troops and was organized during the spring of 1776 as five companies of volunteers from the northwestern region of the colony of South Carolina. It may have been composed exclusively of expert riflemen from the colony.

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Pinketham "Pink" Eaton of North Carolina was a distinguished American officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was the uncle of John H. Eaton, who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee and Secretary of War.

The Mecklenburg County Regiment was authorized on May 31, 1775 by the Province of North Carolina Congress. From November 7, 1779 until the 3rd Quarter of 1780, it was called the 1st Mecklenburg County Regiment when a 2nd Mecklenburg County Regiment existed. The 1st Mecklenburg County regiment was engaged in 39 known battles and skirmishes against the British during the American Revolution in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia between 1776 and 1781. It was active until the end of the war.

The Edenton District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War (1776–1783). This unit was established by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 4, 1776, and disbanded at the end of the war.

The Wilmington District Brigade was an administrative division of the North Carolina militia during the American Revolutionary War (1776–1783). This unit was established by the North Carolina Provincial Congress on May 4, 1776, and disbanded at the end of the war.

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William Caswell was a general in North Carolina militia in the American Revolution, Dobbs County, North Carolina county official, North Carolina state legislator, and planter.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lewis, J.D.; North Carolina in the American Revolution, NC Light Dragoons, accessed Jan 30, 2019
  2. ↑ Lewis, J.D. "The Continental Army in North Carolina" . Retrieved February 28, 2019.

Bibliography

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